Matched

i just finished reading “Matched” by Ally Condie for my next BlogHer Book Club book.
the whole idea of the book was very intriguing to say the least.

“Matched” is about a 17-year-old girl named Cassia who lives at a time when Society and its Officials are the ones who make the choices for everyone’s lives.
they decide what you eat.
they decide what you wear.
they decide where you work.
they decide where you live.
they decide who you marry. 
and they decide when you die.
they do all this in the name of science and statistics, saying they know what’s best because they have the hard facts to prove what will provide the best outcomes for others’ lives.
{no emotions allowed}

the book starts off at the “matching banquet” where Cassia is to find out who she will be matched with and spend the rest of her life [until she is 80, actually] with.
in a very rare, almost improbable, circumstance she ends up being matched with her childhood best friend, Xander.
however, things get interesting when she goes to look at her microcard with information on Xander and the courting guidelines and instead of Xander’s face, another person’s face shows up. and she happens to know have grown up  with him too.

the book is definitely a page turner.
the whole Society that Condie created seems highly unlikely that our world could ever come to such a crazy situation.
and yet at the same time i saw many parallels to our own society at times.

the whole book begs the question:
“is a life without choice, yet still yields a productive life, really a happy & fulfilling life?”

the book is very Hunger Games-esque i felt.
it brought up some interesting ideas that really make you think.
like, am i happy with my own choices?
or if given the opportunity to live in a world free of heartbreak & disease, would i give up my right to choose?
would i be brave enough to break away from society?

though i'm not totally infatuated with the book, i still like it and really want to read the sequels.
i think it is a good, interesting read and would still recommend it to others, especially if these kind of questions & ideas interest you.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own